barocca
06-09-2004, 03:41
A little more than 2 years ago i moved to my current address, over the way is an area of undeveopled scrub, behind and around are very large playing fields and an abandoned farm, behind us is a nature reserve, well over 100 acres of untouched bushland, including a small subtropical rainforest. (hard to see how it survives given the limited rainfall here, but it does)
We are surrounded by native wildlife here, all this is in the heart of the largest city in Queensland, not 10k's from city center.
Naturally this brings with it inherent dangers to the wildlife.
Shortly after we moved in i observed an Australian Magpie on the wing get clipped by a speeding car, it tumbled and landed in my front yard - well crashed is more like it.
This particular Magpie is very smart and as you will see extremely resilient.
He was a little groggy, but alert enough to avoid my attempts to recover him, he could not fly more than a foot or two, but that was enough to keep him out of my reach.
At no time during this first encounter did he use his feet, he flopped into the grass when he landed, and took off from a sitting position.
It was scorchingly hot at the time and he took refuge in a small grove of leafy plants in the corner of my yard, as he could not fly i placed a bowl of water as close as i could so he could drink.
After a couple of days he had exhausted the food supply in the grove and was becomming more approachable.
I decided to feed him scaps of meat and after a couple more days he began to hop towards me whenever i went into the front yard.
It was at this time i noticed his feet are balled, the toes do not extend and he was hopping, instead of walking.
((It is very hard to pick the gender of this type of magpie unless you can find the nest, i assume Maggie is male because the males of this type lead the young on foraging expeditions, while the female recuperates after hatching and rearing the chicks.))
Once he started leaving the grove i noticed another Magpie (his mate) would frequent the front yard and occaisionally bring him grasshoppers and the like - very unusual behaviour - a wounded Magpie is usually abandoned by it's mate.
Anyway Maggies mate has stuck with him ever since, and though they have since only once successfully raised more than one chick per hatching (typically 3 to 5 is the norm), they nonetheless have continued to bring a new chick to visit every few months, even well outside the breeding season
This pair are unsual because they stuck together after Maggie was injured, the female brought him food once she knew where he was holed up.
And, for some unknown reason he and my cats more than tolerate eachother.
Despite the fact he has to be very selective where he lands with his feet he has survived and continues to rear chicks.
What i would like to know is was the damage to his feet caused by the impact with the car, for some weeks after the hit he could not hop very far without collapsing in obvious distress,
or was the balled feet a pre-existing condition?
It did take him quite some time to learn how to walk on them without simply hopping everywhere. Thus i suspect either his legs were very sore from the impact, or his feet were broken by the impact and have healed in the form they currently are - balled
note the feet AND compare the way he stands,
with the way his chick stands
- i dont try and get too close, i dont want them to be too friendly, they are wild birds after all
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo006.jpg
as close as i could get - i had to slide the camera along the ground while lying prostrate
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo007.jpg
Maggie and his latest chick singing for breakfast
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo003.jpg
Breakfast - scraps of real cheese
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo004.jpg
any clues?
thanks,
B.
We are surrounded by native wildlife here, all this is in the heart of the largest city in Queensland, not 10k's from city center.
Naturally this brings with it inherent dangers to the wildlife.
Shortly after we moved in i observed an Australian Magpie on the wing get clipped by a speeding car, it tumbled and landed in my front yard - well crashed is more like it.
This particular Magpie is very smart and as you will see extremely resilient.
He was a little groggy, but alert enough to avoid my attempts to recover him, he could not fly more than a foot or two, but that was enough to keep him out of my reach.
At no time during this first encounter did he use his feet, he flopped into the grass when he landed, and took off from a sitting position.
It was scorchingly hot at the time and he took refuge in a small grove of leafy plants in the corner of my yard, as he could not fly i placed a bowl of water as close as i could so he could drink.
After a couple of days he had exhausted the food supply in the grove and was becomming more approachable.
I decided to feed him scaps of meat and after a couple more days he began to hop towards me whenever i went into the front yard.
It was at this time i noticed his feet are balled, the toes do not extend and he was hopping, instead of walking.
((It is very hard to pick the gender of this type of magpie unless you can find the nest, i assume Maggie is male because the males of this type lead the young on foraging expeditions, while the female recuperates after hatching and rearing the chicks.))
Once he started leaving the grove i noticed another Magpie (his mate) would frequent the front yard and occaisionally bring him grasshoppers and the like - very unusual behaviour - a wounded Magpie is usually abandoned by it's mate.
Anyway Maggies mate has stuck with him ever since, and though they have since only once successfully raised more than one chick per hatching (typically 3 to 5 is the norm), they nonetheless have continued to bring a new chick to visit every few months, even well outside the breeding season
This pair are unsual because they stuck together after Maggie was injured, the female brought him food once she knew where he was holed up.
And, for some unknown reason he and my cats more than tolerate eachother.
Despite the fact he has to be very selective where he lands with his feet he has survived and continues to rear chicks.
What i would like to know is was the damage to his feet caused by the impact with the car, for some weeks after the hit he could not hop very far without collapsing in obvious distress,
or was the balled feet a pre-existing condition?
It did take him quite some time to learn how to walk on them without simply hopping everywhere. Thus i suspect either his legs were very sore from the impact, or his feet were broken by the impact and have healed in the form they currently are - balled
note the feet AND compare the way he stands,
with the way his chick stands
- i dont try and get too close, i dont want them to be too friendly, they are wild birds after all
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo006.jpg
as close as i could get - i had to slide the camera along the ground while lying prostrate
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo007.jpg
Maggie and his latest chick singing for breakfast
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo003.jpg
Breakfast - scraps of real cheese
http://www.totalwar.org/barocca/misc/Photo004.jpg
any clues?
thanks,
B.